The cogwheel had four charges left. I knew because I'd been counting.
Each rotation burned one of the six flame balls. Two were already spent, their positions in the cog now dark and empty. Which meant he had four walls of explosion left before whatever reload mechanic powered that thing kicked in.
'Four walls.' I needed to eat through them fast.
I closed the distance again, but this time I changed the approach. Instead of leading with the sword, I sent the Chains of Confession wide, looping them in arcs that cut off his lateral escape routes. Not to grab him. Not yet. Just to shrink the space he had to work with.
He noticed. His eyes flicked to the chains on either side, and his grin tightened at the edges.
